Earthquake: The Long Road Back : So Far, So Good for Commuters--but the Worst Is Yet to Come : Traffic: Drivers have faced few tie-ups, but more freeway jams are expected. ‘Monday is going to be judgment day’ on tight roadways, officials say.

Ventura County commuters found only a few scattered traffic jams on their way into Los Angeles on Wednesday, transportation officials said, but more extensive freeway logjams were predicted for today.

“I took the 101 in this morning and it moved fairly well,” said Caltrans spokesman Russell Snyder, who commutes from Westlake Village to downtown Los Angeles. “Traffic was lighter than normal today, but we expect that the traffic is going to get heavier as the week goes on and more people head back into work.”

Mary Travis, manager of transit programs for the Ventura County Transportation Commission, agreed that the worst was probably still to come and that officials and commuters would probably not know until next week how tight the roadways will be because of earthquake damage.

“Monday is going to be judgment day as far as how alternative plans are functioning and how our limited roadways are working,” Travis said.

One benefit to commuters is today’s expected restoration of Metrolink commuter rail service from Moorpark and Simi Valley into the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles for the first time since Monday’s quake.

Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo said extra cars were being added to the four-car trains in anticipation of increased ridership.

Hidalgo said Metrolink and Transportation Commission officials were also trying to schedule trains to run as far west as Camarillo or Oxnard, and would know by Friday whether such service will be provided.

“We’re seriously looking at Camarillo as a viable option with a slighter possibility of going out to Oxnard,” he said. “If it is all a go, we probably would not see any kind of service until next week sometime.”

Snyder said commuters should think seriously about taking Metrolink trains, ride-sharing or otherwise revising their daily commute because of the limited availability of roadways since the quake-related closure of the Golden State and Simi Valley freeways.

Metrolink trains bound for Union Station in Los Angeles were scheduled to leave Moorpark this morning at 5:15 a.m., 5:55 a.m., 6:46 a.m., 7:25 a.m. and 2:50 p.m., Travis said. The same trains depart from Simi Valley about 13 minutes later, she said.

Trains to Simi Valley and Moorpark will leave Union Station at 1:05 p.m., 4:25 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:40 p.m. and 6:23 p.m., Travis said, and the ride takes about 70 minutes. Those who miss the final westbound train can catch an intercity Amtrak train that leaves Union Station at 8:05 p.m. but requires a separate ticket.

Although Ventura County freeways are all open, one was briefly closed about 2 p.m. Wednesday after drivers reported cracks in the Sunset Hills Boulevard overpass that runs over California 23 in Thousand Oaks.

Permanent closure of the overpass or freeway could have cut off one of the main access points for Ventura County residents to the Ventura Freeway and Los Angeles, but Caltrans inspector Dave Tiberi was called to the scene and ruled that the overpass was safe.

Times staff writer Constance Sommers and correspondent Matthew Mosk contributed to this story.